Immortals of Meluha: Who's playing Sati?

By Hindustan Times

Mumbai, March 9 -- The concluding part of Amish Tripathi's supersuccessful Shiva trilogy of books launched late last month. In Bollywood, however, the focus is on the first book, The Immortals of Meluha, which is set to be made into a movie called Shuddhi.

And while Hrithik Roshan was confirmed to play Shiva right away, the debate over who will play Princess Sati opposite him has been an ongoing one. Now, highly placed sources reveal that Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor are the final two actors being considered for the role.

The film is being produced by Karan Johar and directed by Karan Malhotra. Back in July, the initial talks suggested that the entire team of Agneepath (2012) would reunite for it. As a result, Priyanka Chopra was believed to be in the reckoning for the female lead.

However, after much brainstorming, the makers have apparently narrowed their choice down to Deepika and Kareena. "Quite a few names came up, but finally, after seeing the screenplay, they reckon either of these two actors are the best fit for the role," says the source.

Director Karan Malhotra (this will be his second project after Agneepath) refrains from making a statement, saying, "You must understand that this is something I can't speak about at all." He does, however, provide a hint when he says, "They (Kareena and Deepika) are the finest actresses today. So when you write a script, they are the first names that come to mind... The moment the actor gets finalised, I will be able to talk in detail."

According to the source, however, the makers are already in talks with the two actors about dates and other details. At present, the pre-production is in full swing, with the shooting set to begin by the end of the year. "We are planning to go on floors by November, if not earlier," says Karan.